


"It’s only fair."

by MegLikesCookies



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Hogsmeade, Romance, Teen Romance, Three Broomsticks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 18:02:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5880460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegLikesCookies/pseuds/MegLikesCookies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Indigo Soolo and Fred Weasley go on their first date! Well, assuming neither of them freeze to death on the way there, that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"It’s only fair."

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Henuiitti](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Henuiitti).



> Indigo Soolo belongs to Henuiitti on DeviantArt! You should check her out, she's lovely! :D
> 
> http://henuiitti.deviantart.com/

“So… Is it true?” He asked casually. Well, in reality, his question wasn’t casual at all, but he seemed to be trying to help keep the poor girl from popping with tension.  
It didn’t help her much, though, as her face flushed even darker. Huh. Funny, it wasn’t often that simple questions made Indigo’s stomach flip like that. Then again, it wasn’t every day that Fred Weasley would casually ask for confirmation on her feelings for him.  
She swallowed thickly, rubbing her arm as she struggled to find the right words. “Uh… I… Yes. I-it’s true.”  
Fred seemed to be relieved at that. He smiled wider, raking a hand through his hair as he replied, “I figured so. Ginny doesn’t tend to fib that much.”  
She returned the grin timidly, but still struggled to make eye contact with him. “So you aren’t creeped out? B-because I like you, I mean?”  
Fred shrugged, a playful smirk crossing his face. “No, of course not. Why would it? You’re not too bad. Cute and nice and all that.”  
“… Do you really mean that?” She asked, brushing a loose-strand of blonde hair out of her face as she finally met his gaze. She was relieved to find that he looked just as nervous as her, albeit in his own way.  
“Yeah. I don’t think it’d be fair to lie to you about something like that.” He said, shifting his weight against the pillar behind him. He cleared his throat a bit as he looked off down the hallway “… So. Do you, uh… wanna go with me somewhere?”  
“Like… Madam Puddifoot’s tea shop?” She asked hopefully.  
Fred grimaced, tugging at his collar.“Eh, no thanks. That place is way too gushy. How about the Three Broomsticks? The atmosphere there is a bit more, uh… welcoming.”  
“O-oh, sure, that’d be nice! I don’t think I’ve been there before, actually. I mostly go to Honeyduke’s.”  
“That seems like the kinda place you’d go.” He said, giving her a little smile. “I’ll, uh… meet you in the common room at five. I know a short-cut that’ll save us from the cold a bit.”  
“… I didn’t know there was another way there.”  
“No one does! You’ll be privy to some very secret information, Ind.”  
She grinned at him as the bell rang, warning them to hurry up and get to class. She stepped back a bit as she said, “Sounds promising! I’ll see you there, Fred!”  
They exchanged goodbyes and headed off their separate ways. Indigo hummed happily, walking into class with a rather noticeable skip in her step.

The rest of the day passed Indigo by in a rose-tinted blur. It wasn’t long before she found herself exiting a hidden passageway into the bitterly cold day. She cursed herself mentally for not picking out a bit warmer of an outfit, as a chilly breeze easily reached her skin. The snow of Hogsmead was already soaking her socks.  
The fiery-headed boy guiding her glanced back at her through the drifting snow after a few steps, noticing her struggle. He looked along her shivering-frame sympathetically before tugging down his scarf to speak to her.  
“Wanna go back? There’s still time to change your clothes.”  
“N-no, I’m fine. Let’s just hurry and get inside!” She said, having to raise her voice to be heard over a sharp gust of wind.  
“Alright, if you say so. Just be careful not to lose your footing! I hear that snow is kind of chilly.” He called with a smirk. The grin was quickly hidden under his scarf as he turned back around and continued to trudge through the snow ahead of her. She stumbled along behind him, folding her arms around herself tightly in an attempt to retain her body heat.  
“… H-hey, you didn’t tell me how you found out about that short-cu-- EEP!!” Indigo’s question was cut short as her foot got hooked on a rock hidden in the snow. Fred whipped around, reaching out for her and grabbing her arm before she could fully bury herself in the frosty death. She quickly regained her balance, clinging to Fred’s arm for support even after she was stable.  
He gave her a crooked smile, “What did I just tell you? Do you want to be a snowman?”  
“A-aha, sorry, I didn’t mean to--”  
“Hey, you don’t have to apologize for that. Just be more careful, okay? I don’t want to be responsible for you gettin’ hurt.” He said, taking her mitten-clad hand in his. “Now come on, let’s hurry up and get there before we both fall on our rears.”  
Indigo squeezed his hand tighter before responding, “Y-yeah, let’s go. I’ve kinda already got snow in my socks.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t long until she and Fred were seated at a table by the fireplace, her hands warming around a glass of Butterbeer and her shoes drying under the table. The inn was filled with the scent of various drinks, happy chatter, and patrons that the chatter emitted from.  
“Is it, uh… always this busy?” She asked, taking a sip of her drink. Hm, not bad.  
“On weekends like this, yes. I rather enjoy the din, honestly. It covers secret discussions very well.” Fred replied with a secretive smirk. Behind him, his coat and scarf provided a bit of a cushion to the back of his chair, allowing him to lean back. Indigo had opted to keep her jacket on, since she wasn’t sure how long they’d be there.  
“… Secret discussions? What do you mean?” She asked curiously.  
He tilted his chair back a little, grinning smugly. “Well… You already saw a secret today. That passageway we took to get here. George and I generally like to talk about those kinds of things.”  
“Hm. You still haven’t told me how you found it, though. I can’t imagine that you’ve spent enough time poking around outside of the Hufflepuff dormitories to have found it on your own.”  
He glanced around a bit to make sure no one was listening in, before waving for her to lean in a bit. “… Well. If you must know… George and I found this map in Filch’s office during after we got in trouble in our first year. He had it tucked away in the most stupidly obvious way, so of course we snatched it up! Er… We didn’t know it was a map at first, but after trying some activation phrases on it, we finally got it! And, long story short, it shows every inch of Hogwarts, top to bottom! And that includes all of the hidden passageways!”  
Indigo stared at him, mouth agape. “Woah. That’s so cool! Do you have it? Can I see?”  
“Eh… I would show you, but we kinda… loaned it to someone. I’ve got it memorized anyways.” He said, shrugging. “But anyway, next time we go somewhere, I could show you some interesting places that not many people know about. And they’re warm, I promise!”  
“I’d really like that. I promise I won’t blab about it, either, so don’t worry about that.” She giggled.  
“I didn’t think you’d be the type to do that anyways. You’re pretty trust-worthy. Haven’t tried to poison me, as far as I know.” He sniggered.  
“No, not yet.” She teased, taking a long drink from her mug. “So, Ginny told you about me, I’m guessing? Or, uh… did you just overhear me talking with my friends and stuff, like I did with you?”  
“Eh, a bit of both, honestly. I know you tend to hang around the same places that my brother and I do, though… I mean, I’m not saying you were stalking us or anything, but I notice you watching me and George while we’re doin’ our thing. Buuut, I don’t really blame you. We’re hilarious!”  
Indigo blushed in embarrassment, smiling timidly. “Y-yeah, you’ve got that right. I would have talked to you more often, but I only got the nerve to try that recently.” She admitted, “… I just wish I’d been the way to tell you how I feel instead of Ginny.”  
“Well, she’s pretty nosy. It was kind of inevitable that she’d fess up before either of us got the nerve to.”  
“… Either of us?” She asked, tilting her head. “So you we’re considering telling me before Ginny…?”  
Fred’s expression shifted, and he shrugged. “Yeah, that’s what I said. I was just trying to wait for the right time, y’know? You’re… pretty cute. Smart. Funny. I didn’t want to mess it up.”  
“Oh… Thank you!” She said, smiling from ear to ear and rubbing her burning cheeks. “You hardly know me, though. I don’t think all of that applies to me…”  
“Hey, don’t be self-deprecating. You’ve got no reason to be!” He said, pouting at her. “And I know you better than you might think.”  
“… Have you been stalking me?”  
“Oh, hush! I wasn’t any more than you were! I just like you, okay? Plain and simple.” Fred said sternly, crossing his arms.  
She held up her hands defensively, smiling at him. “Okay, okay! I don’t know if I’ll be able to believe that, but whatever.”  
Fred gave an exaggerated frown, pointing a finger at her as he took a breath to begin ‘scolding’ her. But as his arm moved, his wide swing knocked over Indigo’s half-full tankard of Butterbeer over, the fluid drenching the front of her coat. His smile disappeared in a heartbeat as he quickly snatched the glass up before it could do any further damage.  
“Bloody hell, I’m sorry!” He gasped, standing up and grabbing a couple of napkins off of the table. He began trying to blot her coat, but it soon became obvious that it wasn’t helping much.  
“Hey, it’s okay.” She said, giving him a reassuring smile as she tugged the garment off and setting it over the back of her chair. “See? The rest of my clothes are fine. And my jacket will probably be dry by the time we leave.”  
“... Y-yeah. And if it isn’t, you can have mine.”  
“But then you’ll be cold on the way back, won’t you?”  
“Hey, it’s my fault for wrecking yours. It’s only fair. And besides, I’ll survive five minutes in the cold. It’s not a big deal.”  
Her brow furrowed slightly, but sighed as she decided against hurting his pride. “… Okay. But next time we go out, we’re going somewhere warm.”  
He seemed to relax a bit, giving her a warm smile as he sat back down. “… You still want to go out with me again? Even after I kinda ruined the mood?”  
She giggled, nudging his shin with her shoe under the table. “Of course! It’d take a bit more than that. I’d love to go out with you again, as long as you still do.”  
He stroked his chin for a moment, deep in thought. “… Yeeeah, I guess so. We could just stay in the common room this time around.”  
“That’d be lovely.” She replied, grinning widely at him.  
Fred returned the look easily, “Hey, I’ll go get you a fresh, glass, alright?”  
She nodded and thanked him, and soon after he returned, they sunk into easy conversation once more. They stayed together at that table long into the night, until they began to worry they’d fall asleep there. And so, they stepped out together into the cold, gloved hands clasped together as Indigo nuzzled into Fred’s coat.  
Oh, and she didn’t give Fred his coat back for a long, long time. Fred didn’t mind.


End file.
